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缘分”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”(亦作“天缘”)以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny 等。请看几个例子:$ }5 T, C: A e7 ]
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1.富贵功名,前缘分定。(《西游记》) O: `& Z) [, r% [# r8 L% n$ e, U
/ f: F+ T* ]) p* T$ b- ^* jWealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译)' V( Q# |* j) u. F6 h" K
. r' Y+ f, d) ^3 J& v" w3 k6 b2.[宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂,香菱笑道] 一则是天缘,二来是“情人眼里出西施”(《红楼梦》)
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It‘s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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3.[王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲,故意问前者是不是妻子死后,没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说]做甚么了便没?只恨我夫妻缘分上薄,自不撞着!(《水浒》)4 G- k- n9 @; a* u, J# a+ V
2 W4 d- ~8 r0 x4 o e* ?. w, }, dWho says there isn‘t? It‘s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I‘ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译)% d" u$ Y6 m6 S- y# t& d
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4.她无缘,小生薄命。 (《西厢记》)
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She lacks the karma; I‘m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译)& k5 [2 P# @% J+ f
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5.[刘备送别徐庶时说]备分浅缘薄,不能与先生相聚。(《三国演义》)
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My meagre lot, my partly destiny keep us from remaining together.( M. Robers 译)
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6.[杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友]只为缘悭分浅,遇不着一个知己,所以对月伤怀,临风洒泪!(《儒林外史》)4 n' I( R6 Z% ^! F" l# k1 w* P
; m) Z7 d/ [7 o3 q4 A bBut I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! (杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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8 q# o: Z; \ Q( d7.君琴瑟之好,自相知音;薄命人乌有此福。如有缘,再世可相聚耳。(《聊斋.宦娘》)
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You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other‘s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me; ?0 g0 Q! c3 \! ]/ G" e9 J" B
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such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. (D.C. & V. H Mair 译)* Q4 f4 @+ D9 d8 K/ x7 _- a, `/ E
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8.[方鸿渐看不中张小姐,心中暗说]“我你他”小姐,咱们没有“举碗[案]齐眉”的缘分,希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。 (《围城》)
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$ {3 Y8 o& `6 ^& y$ N; LMiss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren‘t meant to "raise the bowl To the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love
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with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译)/ z, ~9 D3 t2 Z- o+ H
' B( ]. g/ {/ x可以看出,以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识,英译亦然。《围城》一例所mean,据New World Dictionary 等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思,颇为妥帖。
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7 Z W; x2 M7 l; r- \& _然而,“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了,甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的以下两句,用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同:
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9.[刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮,说]备久慕先生,无缘拜会。* _9 K% ~; E7 Y) O( ?+ l
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Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.1 o& ^& P8 w+ z% y
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不仅如此,这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘(进入)决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals) 即其一例。《浮生六记》的作者沈复(字三白)因妻子陈芸喜欢李白和白居易的诗,就跟她说:/ h( A$ w1 ^1 i2 O! q
, u8 {8 Y. {# q9 ?11.异哉!李太白是知己,白乐天是启蒙师,余适逢字三白,为卿婿;卿与“白”字何其有缘耶?
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4 A i! g: P* J- _" mThis is very strange. So LiBai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and yours band‘s literary name is Sanbai. It seems; R, b1 P8 T) p& H0 v
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that your life is always bound up with the Bai‘s. (林语堂 译) |
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